


Safety

by AlwaysCryOverSpilledMilk



Series: Prompt Fills [10]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kylo Ren Redemption, Kylo Ren is a Fool for Love, Rey Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23292916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysCryOverSpilledMilk/pseuds/AlwaysCryOverSpilledMilk
Summary: 'He studies Rey as she averts her eyes, takes in the bruises and cuts that seem to have freshly been scattered across her skin. Though Kylo can only see some of her arms and her face, he can only assume what lies out of sight. It’s different, he can tell, than the injuries she’d normally gain from battle or even sparring. He’s colored her in many shades himself over time. No, something happened. Something worse.“Rey-” Kylo begins.“I didn’t know where else to go."'
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Prompt Fills [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/945537
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	Safety

**Author's Note:**

> I'd say this takes place sometime before episode 9, kind of pretending that bit of plot doesn't exist.

Kylo is, thankfully, alone in his quarters when he feels it. A pull. It’s weaker than normal, but he feels it, feels _her_ reaching out to him. He can sense that something’s off, wrong, but he can’t see her like before. He reaches further to her, in attempts to make up for the strength she fails to muster between their link. 

“Rey…” he calls out warily, hoping she hears it. 

The connection gets weaker, then stronger all at once and Kylo can almost fully sense her. 

“Kylo,” he hears, soft but sure. 

“Tell me where you are,” Kylo urges in response. He can feel her hurting, physically and emotionally. This isn’t about finding her for the Order’s agenda, this is beyond that. He needs to find her, he needs to help her. “Rey.”

“I’m here,” she tells him, and he feels her presence so strongly now that he nearly believes it. 

Shaking his head, he goes on, “Rey, please. Let me come to you. I-” Kylo has plans to ask until she reveals her location to him, but is cut off by an oddly light knocking at his door. He hurries over to open it, revealing about the last thing he’d expected.

“I told you,” Rey lilts, “I’m here.”

Kylo’s eyes widen at the gravity of the situation, quickly ushering her in through the door and locking it behind her. He turns on her immediately. “How did you get in here without anyone noticing?”

“I happen to be very good at sneaking around.”

“But why?”

He studies Rey as she averts her eyes, takes in the bruises and cuts that seem to have freshly been scattered across her skin. Though Kylo can only see some of her arms and her face, he can only assume what lies out of sight. It’s different, he can tell, than the injuries she’d normally gain from battle or even sparring. He’s colored her in many shades himself over time. No, something happened. Something worse.

“Rey-” Kylo begins.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” Rey declares at last, interrupting him. She flicks her gaze up to meet his for one second before dropping it to the pristine white floors again, quickly wiping away a few tears attempting to fall. 

All at once, the entire atmosphere changes. Rey looks so tired out of nowhere, like she’s been emotionally drained and could break into sobs or pass out any second. Kylo has no idea what has happened to make her feel and look like this, to push her to the point of coming to _him_ for comfort or whatever this is, but he feels a burning need inside of himself to find whoever is responsible and make them suffer at his merciless saber. 

Not entirely sure what to do, Kylo places a hand on her upper arm in an attempt to comfort her, but she immediately jerks out of his hold like she’s been burned. 

“I-I’m sorry,” instantly stumbles out past Rey’s lips, though he isn’t sure why she’s apologizing. Kylo figures her reaction was from whatever harm had been done to her, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she simply didn’t want _him_ to touch her.

“What happened?” he asks. “Who did this to you?”

“I- I don’t-” Rey starts, but breaks off as tears successfully slide down her cheeks and past her skin, dripping on the floor. Without hesitation, Kylo reaches up a single gloved hand and gently wipes them away, moving after to cup her cheek.

“Is this okay?”

She nods, thankfully not flinching away this time. 

“You don’t have to talk about it,” Kylo states, “but know that I would kill anyone for you, without a second thought.” 

“Why, Kylo?” Rey inquires, meeting his eyes again. “We’re supposed to hate each other. I won’t join you on the dark side, and you won’t go back to your old self. I- I don’t understand why we’re like this.”

“This thing between us, Rey… It’s much more, much deeper, than any of that. We’re connected. I couldn’t hate you even if I tried. I can’t get you out of my head, Rey. You have no idea what I would do for you.”

“I… feel the same way, though I don’t really understand it.”

“We don’t need to understand it, Rey,” Kylo insists, his other hand coming to cup her other cheek. “We just need to listen to it, to how we feel. You came to me when you really needed someone. We’re beginning to rely on each other already.”

“You make me feel safe, despite everything…”

“I’ve never wanted anything more than to have you by my side, no matter what I had to do.”

“That’s not true,” Rey whispers, stepping back out of Kylo’s hold.

“How can you say that?” Kylo throws back, his voice beginning to raise as he goes on, “I’ve been following you all this time, trying to get you to take my hand, to just be with me. I’ve always-”

Just before he shifts to yelling, Rey cuts in, “If you only wanted to be with me, you would’ve been willing to join my side! You would’ve left this all behind, we could’ve put an end to all of this, and we could’ve been together. I could’ve been by your side. But you only want me with you if it’s on _your_ terms, Kylo Ren. You can’t say that’s not the truth.”

“I- you’re right,” he concedes, realizing there was nothing he could say to disprove that. “Rey, I can’t go back. Why can’t you see that this is who I am? I’m not him, I haven’t been for a long time and I won’t be again. If you want me, then you want Kylo Ren. Ben Solo is dead.”

“You’re just afraid.”

“Afraid?” Kylo scoffs.

Rey steps closer to him, laying her hands daintily on his broad shoulders. “Yes. Afraid to go back and face everything you’ve left behind. Afraid to let the dark go. Afraid to be who you really are.” She looks at him, looks _into_ him in a way he’s never had anyone do before. “I want to be with you.” She takes a single step closer, their faces merely an inch apart. “Ben.”

Kylo inhales sharply at the name. 

“Please, Ben, come back,” Rey whispers softly, her breath mingling with his. “I want you, and I _need_ you.”

Kylo screws his eyes shut. He doesn’t understand this effect that she has on him, that she’s always had on him. She makes him want to be better, to throw the mask away, to go home to his mother, to shed the red and black, to tear down everything he’s built just to build a new life with her. It’s always just been thoughts, just garbage he couldn’t dispose of piling up in his mind, but now… Now, she was standing here in front of him asking him to be hers. What was he supposed to do? 

With no idea what to say, Kylo slides his hands onto her hips and kisses her. It begins riddled with uncertainty from both ends, but it quickly shifts as Rey slips her hands from his shoulders to lace tightly around his neck and he uses his grip to pull her closer, flush against his body. It doesn’t last long, only a minute or two, before they break apart but remain just as close.

“I need you, too, Rey,” he says, and he’s certain he means it more wholeheartedly than he’s meant anything in his life. She ghosts her fingers across his cheek, and he feels himself really smile for the first time in ages. What is it about this one girl?

“Will you come back with me?” Rey asks, voice softer than he’s ever heard it.

“Will you tell me what happened?” he shoots back.

“I-” He watches as she promptly closes back up and falls apart, just as she had before. Rey looks behind her before stepping over to his bed, taking a seat at the edge and pulling her legs up to her chest. Anyone else, and he’d cut their feet off for putting their shoes on the covers.

Wordlessly, he comes to sit beside her, one of his hands settling on the small of her back. He says nothing and just waits.

“I was at the base, looking for Finn. I was taking a detour through some of the woods, but I’d left my lightsaber back with my things. I- It was dark, and someone approached me. I didn’t recognize who it was, but it had to have been someone from base, so I greeted them but… someone else came from behind me and- and grabbed me and they-” Rey pauses, taking a breath and drawing her knees even further into herself. “I couldn’t break their hold, and the other man kept coming closer, and- I tried fighting my way out, I even tried to push them off with the force but they held my wrists down and- and- I- they-”

Kylo rubs his hand around her back to try to soothe her somewhat and asks, “Did they touch you?” He finds it immensely difficult to conceal his building rage.

Rey mutely nods.

“How far did they go?”

“They- all-” Rey halts, clearly uncomfortable speaking about it. She looks up at him, tears spilling. “I-I was a virgin, Ben…”

At the confirmation of his worst fears, Kylo can’t hold himself back. He impulsively stands and slams his fist into the nearest wall, leaving a satisfying dent. After, he quickly regains his composure and returns to his spot beside Rey. She looks surprised at his short outburst but not too disturbed. “I’m sorry for that,” he says, promptly pulling her into his arms. “I can’t stand the thought of anyone touching you. If you tell me to, I would stop at nothing to find those pieces of shit and give them exactly what they deserve for-”

“Stop,” Rey mumbles against his chest. “I know, but I don’t want you to.”

“Okay,” Kylo agrees, beginning to run his fingers up and down her arms. “What _do_ you want?”

“Honestly, I just want to sleep.”

Kylo chuckles. “Luckily we’re sitting on the perfect thing for that. Make yourself comfortable; we can talk more in the morning.”

Rey smiles and pulls back to remove her shoes and wrappings while Ben sheds some layers as well and shuts off the lights. 

\---

A soft “Ben?” pulls him from his slumber, his eyes fluttering open to the most beautiful sight possible. He’s fairly certain he’s never slept that well in his life. 

“That’s me,” he answers with a small smile. Being with her like this… it’s the best thing he’s ever experienced, and it’s more than enough to show him that he’s ready to go back. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Ben Solo.”

  
  


**FIN.**


End file.
